 Thursday, 15th Dec 2011 23:21 by Clive Whittingham QPR face Manchester United at Loftus Road this Sunday for the first time since Eric Cantona’s infamously late equaliser back in 1996. Paul Parker is the featured player connection this week. Recent MeetingsMan Utd 1 QPR 0, Tuesday November 11, 2008, League Cup Fourth Round QPR aren’t exactly a team famed for their cup runs in the modern era but in 2008, under the guidance of Iain Dowie and newly flushed with Flavio Briatore’s millions, they successfully negotiated three rounds of the League Cup. That included a memorable upset in round three at Aston Villa where Damion Stewart’s flying header saw Rangers through. Of course, we all know that between the Villa and United games Briatore swung his axe and removed Dowie from the hot seat which meant that QPR went to Old Trafford under the caretaker guidance of Gareth Ainsworth – a short sighted move, considering Dowie had won 2-0 at Old Trafford with Coventry at the same stage of the same competition a year previously. Ainsworth set QPR up not to lose and the result was 80 minutes of siege being laid to the QPR goal where Radek Cerny was in the form of his life to keep the home side at bay. In the end only the award of the obligatory questionable penalty at the Stretford End, converted by Carlos Tevez, saved United’s blushes. Rangers were left to reflect on what might have been had they given the game more of a go – in the final ten minutes after conceding Sam Di Carmine had a goal disallowed for offside and Emmanuel Ledesma missed an absolute sitter with the last kick of the game. Man Utd: Kuszczak 6, Rafael Da Silva 7, Neville 7 (Vidic 89, -), Evans 7, O'Shea 7, Gibson 7, Possebon 7 (Welbeck 72, 8), Anderson 7, Nani 7, Tevez 8, Park 8 Subs Not Used: Foster, Carrick, Manucho, Cleverley, Gray Goals: Tevez 76 pen (assisted Nani) QPR: Cerny 9, Ramage 7, Stewart 9, Hall 9, Connolly 7, Mahon 8, Rowlands 8, Buzsaky 5 (Agyemang 7), Parejo 4 (Ledesma 7) Cook 5 (Di Carmine 7) Blackstock 5 Subs Not Used: Cole, Delaney, Gorkss, Ephraim QPR 1 Man Utd 1, Saturday March 16, 1996, Premiership The last meeting between these two sides at Loftus Road, the last meeting of any sort prior to that League Cup tie, was during our 1995/96 relegation season and was seen by many as the seminal moment of that campaign. QPR, embarking on a Premier League season for the first time without talismanic striker Les Ferdinand and under the inexperienced stewardship of Ray Wilkins, were struggling badly. They’d won just one of 11 league games during a barren winter and were deep in the relegation mire when title chasing Man Utd arrived in town on a ten straight winning run. But this wasn’t a QPR team entirely without talent and having already clocked up hard luck stories against Newcastle (played superbly, lost 3-2) and Spurs (lead 2-0, had a ridiculous penalty given against them, lost 3-2) at Loftus Road they were to suffer another here. QPR were excellent on the day and after weathering a heavy first half storm lifted the roof off a packed Loftus Road with a deserved opening goal just past the hour mark. Dennis Irwin is often credited with the own goal, diving despairingly to try and divert Danny Dichio’s shot over the bar but only finding the roof of his own net, but it’s always been Dichio’s goal for me. And then the infamous moment. Referee Robbie Hart, who has grown through myth and legend into a Manchester United fan given the game as a gesture by the league prior to his retirement, refused to blow the full time whistle. On and on the game went. On and on and on and on. Finally, just before the second reading of the classified football results, Eric Cantona scored at the School End. The final whistle duly sounded almost the second the ball hit the back of the net. It was a scandal then and it remains so today – a crucial nail in the QPR coffin from which we’ve only just recovered 15 years later. QPR: J Sommer, D Bardsley, R Brevett, A McDonald, S Yates, S Barker, I Holloway, N Quashie (A Impey, 45), D Dichio (M Hateley, 80), K Gallen (K Ready, 84), T Sinclair Goals: Dichio 63 Man Utd: P Schmeichel, D May (N Butt, 73), D Irwin, S Bruce, G Neville, B McClair (P Scholes, 58), R Keane, D Beckham (L Sharpe, 73), R Giggs, E Cantona, A Cole Goals: Cantona 90+8 Previous ResultsHead to Head >>> QPR wins 6 >>> Draws 13 >>> Man Utd wins 28 2008/09 Man Utd 1 QPR 0* 1995/96 QPR 1 Man Utd 1 (Dichio) 1995/96 Man Utd 2 QPR 1 (Dichio) 1994/95 Man Utd 2 QPR 0** 1994/95 QPR 2 Man Utd 3 (Ferdinand 2) 1994/95 Man Utd 2 QPR 0 1993/94 QPR 2 Man Utd 3 (Ferdinand, Wilson) 1993/94 Man Utd 2 QPR 1 (B Allen) 1992/93 QPR 1 Man Utd 3 (B Allen) 1992/93 Man Utd 0 QPR 0 1991/92 QPR 0 Man Utd 0 1991/92 Man Utd 1 QPR 4 (Bailey 3, Sinton) 1990/91 QPR 1 Man Utd 1 (Falco) 1990/91 Man Utd 2 QPR 1** (Maddix) 1990/91 Man Utd 3 QPR 1 (Wegerle) 1989/90 QPR 1 Man Utd 2 (Channing) 1989/90 Man Utd 0 QPR 0 1988/89 QPR 3 Man Utd 2 (Gray 2, Sinton) 1988/89 Man Utd 3 QPR 0** 1988/89 QPR 2 Man Utd 2** (Stein, McDonald) 1988/89 Man Utd 0 QPR 0** 1988/89 Man Utd 0 QPR 0 1987/88 Man Utd 2 QPR 1 (McDonald) 1987/88 QPR 0 Man Utd 2 1986/87 QPR 1 Man Utd 1 (Byrne) 1986/87 Man Utd 1 QPR 0 1985/86 QPR 1 Man Utd 0 (Byrne) 1985/86 Man Utd 2 QPR 0 1984/85 QPR 1 Man Utd 3 (Bannister) 1984/85 Man Utd 3 QPR 0 1983/84 QPR 1 Man Utd 1 (Fenwick) 1983/84 Man Utd 3 QPR 1 (C Allen) 1978/79 Man Utd 2 QPR 0 1978/79 QPR 1 Man Utd 1 (Gillard) 1977/78 Man Utd 3 QPR 1 (Bowles) 1977/78 QPR 2 Man Utd 2 (Givens, Needham) 1976/77 Man Utd 1 QPR 0 1976/77 QPR 4 Man Utd 0 (Eastoe 2, Givens, Kelly) 1976/77 Man Utd 1 QPR 0** 1975/76 Man Utd 2 QPR 1 (Givens) 1975/76 QPR 1 Man Utd 0 (Webb) 1973/74 QPR 3 Man Utd 0 (Bowles 2, Givens) 1973/74 Man Utd 2 QPR 1 (G Francis) 1968/69 Man Utd 8 QPR 1 (Marsh) 1968/69 QPR 2 Man Utd 3 (Leach, Wilks) 1908/09 Man Utd 4 QPR 0*** 1907/08 QPR 1 Man Utd 1*** (Cannon) * - League Cup ** - FA Cup *** - Charity Shield ConnectionsPaul Parker >>> QPR 1987-1991 >>> Man Utd 1991-1996 Paul Parker was the last serving QPR player to go to a World Cup with England, starring in the 1990 tournament in Italy. Rangers picked the diminutive defender up from near neighbours Fulham in 1987 for a fee of £200,000. At the same time then QPR manager Jim Smith also paid £200,000 for Dean Coney from the Cottagers but while Coney is often named in the club’s worst ever XI, Parker often makes the list of all time QPR greats. It was actually a surprise that Parker remained at Craven Cottage for so long – his performances at full back in the lower divisions attracted regular interest from First Division clubs but having graduated from the Fulham youth team in 1981 he had to wait until 1987 for his move to Loftus Road. Within three years he was a mainstay of the England defence under Bobby Robson. Despite his lack of height Parker was developed into a quality centre back while at Rangers – lightning pace and a super-human leap covering up whatever shortcomings his lack of height may have posed. He played at the heart of the QPR defence, and on the right for England with his first cap coming in 1989 against Albania. He’d only won five caps by the time Italia 90 began but with first choice Gary Stevens out of form Parker moved ahead of him in the pecking order to start the tournament as Robson’s first choice right full back. Sadly he’s probably best remembered for charging down a German free kick in the semi final and inadvertently diverting it high in the air and over Peter Shilton’s head into his own net. He did however later make amends with an assist for Gary Linekar to equalise – England of course later lost on penalties. Sadly, as was often the case in the 1990s, excellent performances for QPR and England didn’t go unnoticed elsewhere and he became the club’s record sale in August 1991 when Alex Ferguson paid £2m to take him to Old Trafford. Parker played at right back for United but was beset by injury problems and eventually lost his place at club level to Gary Neville and international level to Lee Dixon. Having said that he did win both domestic cup competitions and two league titles during his time at Old Trafford having, and was in Terry Venables’ first England squad in 1994 for a match against Denmark. Parker’s career rather tailed off after leaving United in 1996. Brief and not particularly successful spells at newly promoted Derby, First Division Sheffield United and then back at Fulham down in the Third Division were interrupted by four matches in the top flight for Chelsea in 1997 as the Blues attempted to deal with an injury crisis. He managed Chelmsford City and Welling United after retiring, and media work for Setanta Sports when they covered Conference Football. He made a brief return to Loftus Road in 2007 as commercial and communication director. In all he made 156 starts and four sub appearances for Rangers, scoring once, and won 19 full caps for England. Others >>> Tom Heaton, Man Utd 2005-2010, QPR (loan) 2009 >>> Liam Miller, Man Utd 2004-2006, QPR 2009 >>> Kieran Lee, Man Utd 2006-2008, QPR (loan) 2008 >>> Danny Nardiello, Man Utd 2000-2005, QPR 2007-2008 >>> John Curtis, Man Utd 1997-2000, QPR 2007 >>> Nick Culkin, Man Utd 1997-2002, QPR 2002-2005 >>> Ray Wilkins, Man Utd 1979-1984, QPR 1989-1994, (manager) 1994-1996 >>> >>> Alan Brazil, Man Utd 1984-1986, QPR 1986 >>> Gary Micklewhite, Man Utd 1978-1979, QPR 1979-1985 >>> Gordon Hill, Man Utd 1975-1978, QPR 1979-1981 >>> Stewart Houston, Man Utd 1973-1980, QPR (manager) 1996-1997 >>> Don Givens, Man Utd 1969-1970, QPR 1972-1978 >>> Dave Sexton, QPR (manager) 1974-1977, Man Utd 1977-1981 >>> Dave McCreery, Man Utd 1974-1979, QPR 1979-1981 >>> Tommy Docherty, QPR (manager) 1968, (manager) 1979-1980, Man Utd (manager) 1972-1977 >>> Reg Allen, QPR 1938-1950, Man Utd 1950-1955 Memorable MatchQPR 1 Manchester United 0, Saturday September 13, 1975, First Division The for and against record in this fixture doesn’t reflect well on QPR who have managed just six wins to United’s 28. But one of those wins came in the famous 1975/76 season at Loftus Road when a fantastic QPR side came within a whisker of winning the First Division title for the one and only time in their history. The home match with United, played out in front of 29,237 people at Loftus Road, came early in the campaign. Rangers had already signalled their intent for the season with a 2-0 victory against title favourites Liverpool on the opening day, a fabulous performance that included the BBC Goal of the Season from Gerry Francis. Man Utd were tipped to be Liverpool’s main challengers that year, and indeed if you believe the Match of the 70s programme that the BBC ran a couple of years back the season was indeed a fight between United and Liverpool for the title. But QPR went into the game unbeaten, four draws and two wins from the first six games, and ultimately only missed out on the title by a point after winning 14 of their last 16 league games. United were also unbeaten, and lead the league as they arrived in W12 for their first London trip of the season. Dave Sexton, revolutionary manager of QPR at the time and a man who would eventually boss United as well, kept faith with the same team that had won 4-1 at Shrewsbury in the League Cup in the run up to this game. Mick Leach, harshly maligned by QPR fans at the time, scored in that cup game and kept his place ahead of John Hollins. Tommy Docherty was the Man Utd manager at the time – he’d already endured one infamously brief spell as QPR manager by this stage and would go on to manage them again from 1979 to 1980. In the meantme, he gave 18-year-old Scottish defender Arthur Albiston a first start of the season in place of the injured Brian Greenhoff. Another man who would go onto manage QPR, though not very successfully, Stewart Houston had to be alert to early danger from Mick Leach after Francis had knocked down a cross that resulted from purposeful wing play by Dave Thomas on the Ellerslie Road side of the ground. From the resulting corner Gillard attacked the near post and headed the ball against the bar, but it fell perfectly in the six yard box for unmarked David Webb to stoop and head home past Alex Stepney. The R’s were within an inch or so of making it two when Thomas accelerated away from Albiston down the other wing and cut the ball back to the edge of the area where Don Givens swepta first time volley agonisingly close to the top corner. When Givens did hit the target with a very different improvised effort at the near post after attractive build up play from first Thomas and then Bowles Stepney was on hand to produce a fine one handed save. It’s somewhat reassuring to know that dodgy refereeing decisions going in favour of Manchester United isn’t a modern phenomenon – before half time Francis received a boot to the head as he entered the area attempting to replicate his goal from a one two against Liverpool. The referee waved appeals for a spot kick away. That said, Rangers were awarded a penalty straight after the break down at the Loft End. Thomas, United’s tormenter in chief, reached a loose ball in the area before Buchan and was obviously chopped down by the United man. The chance to give Rangers a two goal cushion fell to Stan Bowles but his penalty, low to the keeper’s right, was saved by Stepney who was also alert enough to leap forward and smother the rebound before Bowles could atone for the error. That was Bowles first penalty miss in a league game in his career. Still Rangers pressed and after a bad mistake by Sammy McIlroy in midfield Don Givens went for the same corner as Bowles with a low shot that beat Stepney this time but missed the bottom corner by less than a foot. It mattered not, QPR held on for a deserved win. Afterwards goal scorer Dave Webb said: “I was fortunate really, they took the corner quickly and I think Stuart Pearson dwelt a little bit as I got to the edge of the box and allowed me to get behind him.” QPR topped the table after the final round of matches that season but missed out on the title when Liverpool then went and won a rearranged game in hand at Wolves. United finished three points behind in third. QPR: Parkes, Clement, McLintock, Webb, Gillard, Leach, Francis, Masson, Thomas, Bowles, Givens. Sub: Hollins Man Utd: Stepney, Nicholl, Houston, Jackson, Alberston, Buchan, Coppell, McIlroy, Pearson, Macari, Daly Sub: Young Highlights >>> Man Utd 1 QPR 0 08/09 >>> Man Utd 2 QPR 0 FA Cup Quarter Final 1995 >>> QPR 1 Man Utd 3 92/93 >>> Man Utd 1 QPR 4 91/92 >>> Man Utd 3 QPR 1 83/84 >>> QPR 4 Man Utd 0 76/77 >>> QPR 1 Man Utd 0 75/76 Tweet @loftforwords Pictures – Action Images Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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The only criticism of him during his time at Rangers was that he didn’t score enough goals – his only one coming in a 6-1 home rout of Luton in September 1991 when he played a one-two on the edge of the area and slalomed through to score the sixth and bring the house down.
